Les Restanques, holiday village – review
July 28, 2009 by admin · Leave a Comment
If you are looking for a family holiday somewhere on the Bay of St Tropez then the Pierre and Vacances holiday village, Les Restanques is well worth considering. I can say that with confidence because we just spent a week there ourselves and I’m very happy to recommend it, having had a great time!
The holiday village has about 500 apartments and villas and is set out on a hill overlooking St Tropez and the bay of Saint Tropez. The villas and apartments have been built in the style of the region and the 25 acre site has been planted with a mass of Acacia trees, Oleanders, Agapanthus etc and is very attractive.
There is a very large wave pool which was a huge hit with my children. If you are looking for something quieter there is a smaller pool nearby which I found great for an early morning swim. There are also tennis courts, football pitch, volley ball, Roller Park etc available and an outdoor theatre where regular events take place.
Biarritz, a fine southern city
January 11, 2009 by admin · 2 Comments
Biarritz is in the south-western corner of France, close to the border with Spain. There are several good reasons to visit this attractive city:
- the town itself contains very impressive grand 19th century townhouses with wrought iron balconies and other decoration, and is a pleasure to explore
- it is a lively town, where you can shop, eat and drink at all hours
Does that look Nice?
July 27, 2008 by admin · 2 Comments
Hot on the heels of our comments about the characteristics of the various coastlines of southern France, here is a photo of the most popular seasort resort in France – Nice.
Nice is also a great place to visit, with both easy access to the sunny Mediterranean, and plenty to amuse you in the town when you can’t bear the sea any longer…
…some of the highlights of Nice include:
- the little cottages behind the harbour – once little storage sheds they are now glamorous boutiques and restaurants
- the Promenade des Anglais, a long established walk along the seafront
- the market on Cours Saleya, just behind the Promenade des Anglais
- the cathedral and pedestrianised squares in the older part of the town
- the sophisticated Cimiez region to the north of Nice
- the impressive Matisse museum
and much more besides.
The downside, as you see from the picture, is that the seafront itself – especially in central Nice, can become just a teensy bit crowded and it might not always be easy for your children to run around as much as they might like on the beach…
La Grande-Motte
June 13, 2008 by admin · Leave a Comment
I’m not always a big enthusiast for the beaches of Languedoc-Roussillon. Most of the Languedoc resorts arose in the 1960s and 1970s when the mosquitoes were cleared away from the region to make way for tourists under the so-called ‘Mission Racine’. A fair number of them are dated, crowded, have too much building and development and little of historical interest.
The beaches are often long and sandy…and very windswept and lacking for shade.
So my expectations when I visited La Grande-Motte were, to say the least, not high. But this is a resort with a difference.
Found at the eastern end of the Languedoc coast (shortly before it transforms into Provence), La Grande-Motte was designed by an architect called Jean Balladur who based his designs on early Colombian pyramids. Whatever the inspiration, the buildings are starkly 1970’s in appearance – but in a stylish and interesting way, if you are discouraged by the words ‘1970’s architecture’!
